This article was invited by a member of the editorial board of The Mentor based on a poster session presented at the 2001 NACADA conference in Ottawa. The text has been adapted from a brochure developed by the author.
Preparing for a majors fair can be both exciting and frustrating at the same time. It is difficult for one institution to look to another institution's majors fair experience for guidance because monetary and physical support as well as physical logistics vary. However, certain universal steps can be taken to ease the stress and work of offering a majors fair. How large or small each step will be is determined by the institution.
Step I. Location, location, location.
Probably the most important part of establishing a majors fair is selecting the location. While it may not be as important for residential institutions, a commuter campus must do more to attract students. To have the most students available for a majors fair, schedule it for the time that the majority of students are on campus. The fair should also be held where the flow of foot traffic is at its highest. If students trip over the fair, they may stop by to talk.
If you plan to have a majors fair every year, use the same location and the same day so that students become used to a specific place and time. Holding the fair on the first Tuesday of every April not only helps students to remember but also makes it a part of the university calendar so that fair workers will remember as well.
Step II. Get help.
It takes a university to put on a majors fair. Ask for volunteers from all departments. Create a committee to discuss ideas on when, where, and what to include at the fair. Assign specific tasks to each committee member so that the workload is divided and no one member becomes too inundated with tasks. Faculty members on the committee can easily get information to and from their colleagues, and volunteers from admissions, financial aid, and physical facilities know the ins and outs of whom to see and how it is done. However, once established, a fair almost runs itself. A committee can become an e-committee, communicating primarily through e-mail rather than scheduling traditional meetings.
Help will also be needed on the day of the majors fair. Volunteers will be needed from all the departments that have been invited to the fair, and additional volunteers will be necessary to make sure that the departmental volunteers have everything they need.
Step III. Start early.
Plan for your first fair about a year in advance. Have regular committee meetings to make sure everything is on schedule. There is as much red tape and paperwork involved in setting up a fair for the first time as there is in setting up one every year. Budgets, reservations, and special printing orders are just a few of the items that are involved. Giving the committee enough time to plan lowers the stress level.
Secure the fair location as well as any special physical needs (such as tables, booths, etc.) well enough in advance. Signs need to be designed and created. Plan to use them again, and consider how that is to be accomplished. After the fair, check the signs to make sure that they are in good condition. If they are okay, place them and any other leftover decorations in a specific storage area where they can be accessed easily. Carefully storing the supplies afterward cuts down on future fair costs. For example, good-quality balloons, if not inflated, will last twelve to eighteen months.
Step IV. Organize the chaos.
Keep accurate records of everything so that producing the next fair will be easier. Large three-ring binders easily accommodate receipts, memos, and public relations information. Creating a student survey is a good way to find out how successful the majors fair is. The survey results can then be placed in the binder or filed with the other fair records.
Another organizing technique is to keep a record (in a database, for example) of the individuals who will volunteer at the fair. When it is time to thank everyone who has made your fair a success, the database will be a helpful resource. The list can be kept and edited each year so that if nametags are to be generated and given to the volunteers, the tags can be printed ahead of time.
The most important reason to be organized is to make the next fair easier to produce.
Step V. Shout it from the highest hill.
Getting the message out about a majors fair is easy. Getting students to read the message is another story. Use every means available to you. Postcards that have been specially designed to announce the fair can be sent to every first- and second-year student. If the budget is large, send the postcard to all students. Even students who have already declared a major might still be interested in earning a minor or double major.
Take advantage of campus electronic signs and student e-mail messaging services. Create flyers that can be posted in classrooms. Send the information to the local newspapers. Work with your institution's admissions office to find the names of the career counselors or contact people at nearby high schools. A majors fair is a perfect opportunity for high school seniors to learn about different majors.
Order pens that can be imprinted with majors fair information. Give the pens to the volunteers and students who attend the majors fair. The pens will last for months, reminding both the volunteers and the students of the fair.
Step VI. Feed them, and they will come.
Feed the volunteers good things like coffee, iced tea, lemonade, cookies, and fruit. A fed staff is not a fed-up staff. If your fair is going to be an all-day event, supply your workers with enough goodies to last the entire day.
Step VII. All skate.
On the day of the fair, the committee and all other volunteers should be on hand to make sure that everything is running smoothly. Depending upon whether or not your institution has purchased decorations, remember that setting up the decorations requires time. Decorations such as tablecloths, balloons, and signs take time to open, inflate, or put up.
There are many last-minute mini emergencies that can happen. Make sure there are enough people to scatter in different directions to solve the problems.
Step VIII. Say “thank you.”
It is always nice to be appreciated. Give every volunteer a small gift or token of your appreciation, such as a coffee mug, a key chain, tiny flashlights – anything that says thanks. These gifts are appreciated and will be a nice public relations advertisement for the next fair. Imprint the university logo and name of the majors fair on them.
Don't forget to send everyone a thank-you letter or note, remembering those workers who were behind the scenes, such as the audiovisual personnel or the computer personnel who set up the necessary equipment. A complimentary letter in an individual's file goes a long way toward next year's fair.